Parenting
by Caitlin Swift
Summary: After his brother's death, Jim was left to look after his brother's youngest child, Lea Kirk. Jim starts losing his mind after 2 months of parenting.


"Bones, we don't even talk! And when we do it's just: 'How was school?' 'Fine', 'What do you want for dinner tonight?' 'Anything' or 'what do you want to do this weekend? 'Nothing'."

James Kirk looked around his living room, now his and Lea's living room. He and McCoy were sitting in chairs opposite each other and drinking brandy.

"And then there's Chekov! He's here nearly every day and leaves really late and then when Lea goes over to his house, she comes home even later!" Kirk looked at McCoy in desperation.

"Jim, she getting older and she and Chekov like each other." That was the only thing the doctor could come up with.

"But what if they're getting…physical?" Jim looked into his glass.

"Jim, Lea's only 16."

"There's 10 year olds kissing nowadays! Who knows what 16 year olds do!" Jim threw up his arms, spilling the contents of his glass.

McCoy could tell Jim wasn't handling being a parental guardian well. He wasn't the Jim he knew. He worried too much.

"Jim, her parents died 2 months ago, she's going through something right now." McCoy took a sip of his brandy. "And besides Jim, she's a smart kid, if she was going to do it, she would use protection."

Jim's eyes widened at his last sentence.

"I'm just kidding Jim."

"But what if she has done it!"

"Jim, she hasn't."

"Oh Bones, I'm a horrible parent!"

"No you're not, Jim. Like I said she's working through something. Just give her time, she'll come around."

"She hates me, Bones!" Jim put his head in his hands and started sobbing.

McCoy rubbed his eyes. Was he seeing right? Had the great James Tiberius Kirk start crying in front of him? It couldn't be!

The front door opened. Jim quickly snapped back and looked towards the door.

Lea came in and then Chekov came in.

Lea had short black hair and bright green eyes. She was wearing a pair of dark blue denim shorts and a white hoodie with a picture of a kitten on the back.

Chekov was still in his cadet's uniform.

"Good afternoon Keptin Kirk and Doctor McCoy." Chekov greeted them

Jim looked at Lea and she looked back. For a moment Jim thought she might come over to him and give him a hug, but instead she took Chekov's hand and led him up the stairs.

"Don't worry, Jim." McCoy reassured his friend.

"Do you think zat the keptin is okay?" Chekov asked.

"Yeah" Lea replied.

They were working on a project that they had to do together.

"Lea, you don't zink zat you are being juzt a little bit mean to ze keptin?"

"No" Lea snapped. Then she realized what tone of voice she had just used. "Sorry Pavel."

She kissed him on the cheek.

"Jim sit the hell down!" McCoy had got irritated by him pacing up and down the living room.

"Bones, what do I do?" Jim asked a bit panicky.

Jim really wasn't himself lately. _Gee, I'm happy parenting didn't hit me that hard_, McCoy thought.

"Jim it's late, I'm—" McCoy started.

"That's why I'm panicking, it's late!" Jim started pacing again.

McCoy had never seen Jim this deranged.

"Jim, calm down!" McCoy ordered and Jim obeyed.

Jim sat down in one of the chairs, clutching his head.

"What do I do? What do I do? They've been in there a long time. But they're always I there a long time!" Jim said pulling his mangled hair. "If I shout at her, she could get the wrong message! She could become a Goth or…a striper! Oh dear lord Bones, I don't want my niece to become a Gothic prostitute!"

"Jim, I'm going to give you something to calm you down." McCoy took out a hypo-spray. He always carried this one, you never knew when it would come in handy.

He injected it into Jim's neck.

Suddenly Jim's arms fell into his lap.

"I feel so relaxed." Jim exclaimed, rolling his head back.

"Okay, I'm going to get you some water." McCoy walked into the kitchen.

"I'm going to put on some music." Jim said in a tired and drugged voice. He moved towards the radio and then he remembered he'd left the album he wanted to play in the other room.

When he walked past the front door, it was wide open and I the doorway stood Lea and Chekov.

They were kissing.

Jim's eyes rolled back and he fell to the floor.

He had fainted.

Lea and Chekov immediately stopped what they were doing.

McCoy came rushing in to the room.

"What the hell did you do?!" He asked.

"Nothing" Lea and Chekov said at the same time.


End file.
